SPECIAL POST: A Trio of Unconventional Bag Makers - The Stories of Maybelle Marie Birch, Toni Cotton, and Hadley House

Mabel Marie Birch large-size embellished straw (wicker) bag. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Label inside bag above.

Maybelle Marie Birch, Toni Cotton, and Hadley House Handbags

The Vintage Purse Museum is delighted to share the stories of three separate makers with a similar fun and funky aesthetic. Their hats and handbags were primarily produced in the 1960s, a time that encouraged color, whimsy, and creative expression in fashion. 

Maybelle Marie Birch

Maybelle Schorg was born in Remsen, Iowa in 1909 to Anna Dose Schorg (1877-1940) and Henry Schorg (1867-1950), a farmer. Maybelle had seven siblings.

In the 1920s, she moved about an hour away to Storm Lake, Iowa to live with one of her sisters. In 1929, Maybelle married her first husband, with whom she had two children. Their marriage was announced in a number of local newspapers, including one that said she'd completed high school in Storm Lake, where she "distinguished herself by her ability and talent as an artist, and was exceptionally proficient in the art of drawing." She and her first husband divorced in 1934.

Per the 1940 US Census, she was widowed from her second husband and living in Marcus, Iowa with her two children, and was the proprietor of a cafe. Thanks to the online newspaper archives of The Marcus Public Library, we learned that this was the Marcus Cafe, which she and her first husband initially managed for one of her siblings and his business partner in 1934. Ownership of the cafe changed a few times until Maybelle purchased it in 1936.

We found a 1941 classified advertisement showing that the Marcus Cafe was once again for sale. Shortly after this ad appeared, Maybelle and her third husband Arthur Birch (1917-1999), whom she married in 1940, relocated from Iowa to California. Arthur enlisted in the US military in 1943, and was stationed in Ventura, California.

Maybelle and Arthur were divorced by 1949, but stayed in the Los Angeles area, where she kept his last name for her eponymous business. According to the 1950 US Census, Maybelle was living with her two children and a nephew, and worked in the office of a construction company.

The earliest print reference (that we could find) relating to Maybelle Marie Birch's professional work as an artist was from 1951, as listed in the 1952 US Library of Congress publication Works of Art: Reproductions of works of art; scientific and technical drawings; photographic works; prints and pictorial illustrations - Volumes 6-7.

Copyrighted art by Maybelle Marie Birch, screenshot from Google Books. The pseudonym she used was a play on one of her children's names (withheld for privacy).

It seems likely that this talent for art was the impetus for starting her hat and bag business. We found a 1952 announcement in The Marcus News about her visit back home that said she that her "venture into the making of handbags, stoles, stationery, ties and other items is flourishing. In fact, she plans on getting someone to help her in her new business when she returns to the coast." (Article directly below.)

June 12, 1952 article in The Marcus News, screenshot from the Marcus Public Library's archive, 

The cities of Remsen and Marcus are quite small, geographically and population-wise, and whenever she visited, the newspapers wrote about her. While she came from a large family whose names often appeared in the local papers reporting on weddings, funerals, business ventures, social events, etc., it appears that Maybelle was something of a celebrity in her hometown after her move to California.

October 11, 1964, the Honolulu Star Bulletin, hat and bag by Maybelle Marie Birch. Clipped via Newspapers.com.

In 1954, there was an announcement in The Marcus News and another local newspaper, The Cherokee Courier, which said she was visiting family in Iowa, and "enjoying great success in her business enterprise" in California. 

Per Maybelle's sister Madeline's (1915-2007) obituary, Madeline moved to California in 1952 with her husband and children, where she worked at Maybelle's Inglewood factory, designing and fabricating handbags. Another sibling, Arley (1911-1962), also moved to Inglewood, where he operated a cafe.

A former Humboldt, Iowa resident, Laura Terwilliger Stewart (1906-1991), also went to work for Maybelle in Inglewood. It was reported in the May 6, 1964 Humboldt (Iowa) Republican newspaper that Laura had made a handbag that was purchased by Mamie Eisenhower, and that a hat she'd made for actress and columnist Hedda Hopper was later sold at a charity auction for $75.00. 

The Vintage Purse Museum was pleased to acquire one of Maybelle Marie Birch's hats. Its tag says "Maybelle Marie Birch - Florida." We couldn't find evidence that Maybelle ever had a Florida residence or workshop. One possibility is that she contracted with a separate Florida-based company that decorated hats under the Maybelle Marie Birch label.  

Hat by Maybelle Marie Birch. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Label inside hat above.

We found a number of different Mabel and Maybelle Birches during this time period, including an unrelated Maybelle Killoren Birch, a drapery maker, who lived in Florida. Interestingly, young Maybelle Schorg Birch once worked as a bookkeeper in an Iowa drapery shop, prior to her first marriage.

Hats by Maybelle Marie Birch, the Kalamazoo Gazette, May 17, 1966. Clipped via Newspapers.com.

We reached out to Maybelle's relatives, and her granddaughter Heather (last name withheld for privacy), kindly responded via email.

"I vaguely remember visiting the factory once when I was a child," wrote Heather. "I never asked her about her design aesthetic, but I know most of her line was very whimsical. Grandma was very creative and started drawing and painting at a young age. She also embroidered and I still have a couple of hand towels that she embellished. She taught me to sew my own clothing, which served me well for many years. She was a good cook. Her parents emigrated here from Germany before WWII, making her a first generation American."

January 9, 1966, May Company ad for Maybelle Marie Birch bag and hat (lower left). The Los Angeles Times, clipped via Newspapers.com.

The most recent newspaper ad we could find for Maybelle Marie Birch's products was from 1971. We don't know why she closed her doors, but she was in her 60s by then, so perhaps she simply decided to retire.

Maybelle Marie Birch passed away in 2005 in Yucaipa, California at age 95. Her hats and bags remain very desirable to vintage clothing and accessories collectors with an eye for the unique. 

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Toni Cotton straw bag with yarn and trim embellishments. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Toni Cotton label and mirror inside bag above.

Toni Cotton

Blanche “Toni” Cotton was born in 1911 in New York to Viviana Rose (Rachel) Heyman Fiore Werner (1891-1990) and Carlo Fiore (1878-1953). Carlo was a music teacher who was said to have taught piano to Jimmy Durante, with whom he remained lifelong friends. Toni's parents divorced prior to 1920. She had one sister and three half-siblings.

Toni married Gerald D. Cotton (1900-1961) and had three children. The couple divorced in the 1950s.

In 1957, Toni filed the business name Toni Cotton Originals, which was located at 408 Hibiscus Ave. in upscale Palm Beach, Florida. This address now houses an art gallery.

An August 7, 1960 article in The Palm Beach Post about Toni Cotton and her company says that three years prior, she was "just another mother of grown children," living alone in her apartment on Worth Ave., convinced that "idleness is an awful thing." So, one hot, humid night, she went to her sewing machine and created a "pixie-type hat of red, white, and blue linen." The next day, she put it on and walked toward the beach. A passerby remarked that it was cute, asked where they could get one, and ordered six.

Thus began a successful hat-making venture, which included a golf- and music-themed hat for singer Pat Boone, which he wore on the February 2, 1959 cover of Life magazine. Also of note was the appearance of her custom-designed "Sweetie Pie Skunk Hat" in the 1960 Jerry Lewis film "The Bellboy," which was filmed in Miami. 

Pat Boone in a Toni Cotton custom hat on the cover of Life magazine. Screenshot from Originallifemagazines.com.

Toni Cotton models her "Sweetie Pie Skunk Hat," which appeared on an actress in the 1960 film "The Bellboy." August 6, 1970, The Palm Beach Post, clipped via Newspapers.com.

Toni's skunk hat in the film. Photo credit: Paramount Pictures.

Toni's daughter Jerri became her partner in the business, helping to design the products, as well as illustrating the brochure for the shop. Jerri (last name withheld) went on to have a successful career in the nonprofit sector.

Toni Cotton once again shared her origin story in a 1971 newspaper article (below). At that time, she was filling orders from her Palm Beach home, and had expanded her inventory to include "purses, jewelry, and clothing." The article indicates that she also continued to operate her shop on Hibiscus Ave. 

Fort Lauderdale News, November 20, 1971, clipped via Newspapers.com.

1970 Toni Cotton trademark, screenshot from the US Patent and Trademark Office.

We found a November 1972 classified ad for a salesperson to work at the store, but Toni dissolved her business that same month. Per public filings, it seems she'd been having financial difficulties for about two years prior to the closure, but kept the company going for as long as she could.

The most recent mention we could find of Toni Cotton was a 1974 newspaper article saying that she was teaching an adult education arts and crafts class in Stuart, Florida. By then she had moved to nearby Tequesta, Florida.

Blanche "Toni" Cotton passed away at age 83 in 2004 in Virginia, shortly after the death of her daughter Jerri. Another child passed in 2007. We were unable to locate her third child, so we reached out to other relatives. Two very kindly responded (names withheld for privacy), but weren't able to offer info about her company as they didn't meet her until they were teenagers. They did say that she gifted them some handbags and that they remember them as "quite unique and beautifully made."

The resilient and creative Toni Cotton left a legacy of fabulous bags and hats for those who appreciate Florida resort style as an art form. 

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Hadley House straw tote with knight motif. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Label inside bag above.

Hadley House

Hadley House was established by two sisters, Josephine Maxwell Purcell Hadley (1901-1991) and Helen Claire Purcell Chamberlin (1898-1974), who were born in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Their parents were Emerson Purcell (1867-1943) and Grace Cox Purcell (1874-1965). The Purcells had five children.

Emerson Purcell was publisher of the Custer County Chief, a weekly newspaper. He was also a Nebraska congressman from 1919-1921, and a Nebraska state senator from 1923-1929. A newspaper article reported that Grace Purcell was very artistic, and made the candles that her daughter Josephine gifted to friends and used for her table arrangements. (More about that below.) 

Josephine's husband was Robert Hadley (1903-1969), who was in the automotive industry. The couple had two children. The family lived for a time in Oregon, Robert's birthplace, and then moved to Longview, Washington, where Josephine started her business, Hadley House. Per a Broken Bow, Nebraska newspaper article, “Mrs. Hadley was known by her friends as one of the most artistic women in Longview, who has the ability and talent to create beauty.” Josephine told the reporter she inherited her creativity from her mother. 

Hadley House large straw tote with whimsical vintage car design. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Helen Chamberlin was a national expert on table settings, and, according to a newspaper article, was “associated with” (presumably meaning a business partner at) Hadley House when it was located in Longview in the 1950s. At that time, the company produced home décor items such as tablecloths, centerpieces, Christmas stockings, and Christmas tree skirts. They also sold DIY kits to home crafters. 

Table-setting expert Helen Chamberlin, November 6, 1948, The Oregonian. Clipped via Newspapers.com.

The sisters called their business “Hadley House” as they felt it was more “euphonious,” and wanted to distinguish it from other businesses they'd had under the Chamberlin name. One of these businesses was the Chamberlins' Handwovens of Seattle, which employed blind weavers through the Washington Training Center for the Blind. 

Helen's husband Edward "Duke" Chamberlin (1898-1977) originally worked at Hadley House in Washington as an unpaid shipping clerk, but, in a newspaper interview, he joked about disappearing every so often to golf and fish. Edward eventually developed asthma, so the Chamberlins moved from Washington to San Diego County's Vista, California in 1958 to take advantage of the drier climate. The Hadleys followed soon after, along with their mother Grace Purcell, who lived with them. 

April 7, 1966, the (Escondido) Daily Times Advocate. Clipped via Newspapers.com.

In 1962, the Custer County Chief reprinted an article from the Vista (California) Press, which said that the two women had been working out of their homes, decorating straw bags and other items. When their business grew, they moved operations to 1756 E. Vista Way, a larger facility. (This is still a commercial area, but the address number no longer exists.)

July 12, 1962, Custer County Chief article with photo of Josephine Hadley and Helen Chamberlin. Clipped via Newspapers.com.

Felt applique and plastic posies flower-cart motif on black straw tote by Hadley House. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

There were a number of businesses with variations of the name Hadley House in the California state business entity database. The most likely match was Hadley House, Inc., established in Vista, California in 1964 with Catherine S. O'Tool as its agent.

By 1966, Hadley House was selling decorated straw hats in addition to handbags. At that time, it had the three partners at the helm: Josephine as secretary-treasurer, Helen as vice president, and Edward as president. There were a total of 12 employees, who worked from January through April. 

Daily Times Advocate, June 20, 1966, clipped via Newspapers.com.

Helen passed away in 1974, and Josephine in 1991. In 2024, we reached out to a Hadley family member, but were unable to connect for an interview, so we don't know when the company ceased operations. However, the most recent advertisement we could find for Hadley House was from 1977, and it appears to be a closeout of inventory.

Josephine Hadley and Helen Chamberlin's Hadley House reflected the genteel upbringing of a pair of sisters who also knew how to bring out their playful side.

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This article c2026 by Wendy Dager/The Vintage Purse Museum. Special thanks to the relatives of Maybelle Marie Birch and Toni Cotton. Resources used were Newspapers.com and MyHeritage.com, to which we have paid subscriptions. Other resources used were Google, Familysearch.org, the Marcus Public Library, Remsen.advantage-preservation.com, Originallifemagazines.com, and the Internet Archive. Please do not use photos or information from our website without requesting permission, vintagepursemuseum@gmail.com.